Malvinas: Uruguay's Mujica shows solidarity with Argentina

President Cristina Kirchner is welcomed by President Mujica at the XLII Mercosur Summit in Montevideo today.

Uruguayan President issued an official statement today ratifying the country’s position regarding recent developments on the Argentine - United Kingdom conflict over Malvinas Islands.

“We hold nothing against the UK, but we are very much in favour of Argentina,” he said regarding an ongoing controversy over a ruling that prohibits ships flying the Malvinas flag, to dock at Uruguayan ports. The head of state considered it to be part of what he called “continental solidarity”

“We have repeatedly supported Argentina on its Malvinas Islands claim,” he explained. “It implies that we consider it a colonial territory in our America, consequently we can’t recognize its flag.”

Earlier today, Uruguayan Foreign Affairs minister Luis Almagro reiterated the nation’s position on the ships ban. “For Uruguay the Malvinas issue is very clear, a clear case for decolonization. Uruguay supports Argentine sovereignty rights over Malvinas and any jurisdictional action coming from Malvinas is invalid for us”, he remarked in a radio interview.

According to international news agencies, the Uruguayan official revealed that barring Malvinas flagged vessels from the port of Montevideo is also based on a declaration from Unasur (November 2010) “on which we worked all last year including with some representatives from the fishing sector involved, for which they had twelve months to adapt”.

Mujica rejected, however, any economic sanction, embargo or sea block against the Malvinas population “because it would be harmful, violate human rights and detrimental to a peaceful solution.”